Old School Manchester Tart

Method:

1. Preheat the Oven: Begin by preheating your oven to 200°C (Gas Mark 6). This will ensure that the tart bakes evenly and crisps up beautifully.
2. Prepare the Pastry Case: Line a 24cm round baking tin with the sheet of ready-rolled shortcrust pastry. Press the pastry gently into the tin, ensuring it covers the bottom and sides evenly. Once the pastry is in place, use a fork to prick the base several times. This will allow steam to escape as the pastry bakes and prevent it from puffing up.
3. Blind Bake the Pastry: Lay a sheet of baking parchment over the pastry, then fill the parchment with dried beans or pie weights to keep the pastry from rising while baking. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until the pastry is golden and firm. After 20 minutes, carefully remove the beans and parchment paper, then let the pastry case cool completely.
4. Make the Custard: While the pastry is cooling, prepare the custard. In a saucepan, combine the 575ml of full-fat milk, 3 tablespoons of custard powder, 2 tablespoons of caster sugar, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Stir the mixture until smooth, then gently heat it over medium-low heat, whisking continuously until it thickens into a custard-like consistency. Once thickened, remove the pan from the heat and set aside to cool slightly.
5. Assemble the Tart: Once the pastry has cooled, spread 3 tablespoons of raspberry jam evenly over the base of the pastry case. This layer of jam provides a sweet contrast to the rich custard. Sprinkle half of the desiccated coconut over the jam, ensuring it’s evenly distributed.
6. Fill with Custard: Pour the thickened custard over the jam and coconut layer, smoothing it out with a spatula to fill the pastry case evenly. Sprinkle the remaining desiccated coconut over the top of the custard for added texture and flavor. Finally, sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons of caster sugar over the top of the tart to give it a light sweetness and help it brown slightly during chilling.
7. Chill and Serve: Place the tart in the fridge to chill for at least 2 hours. Chilling helps the custard set and makes the tart easier to slice. Once chilled, slice and serve, enjoying the creamy custard, the tangy jam, and the satisfying crunch of the coconut.

Notes: